January 26, 2005

New laws will keep freedom to insult
Islam

MUSLIMS were warned by the Director of Public
Prosecutions yesterday that new laws designed to combat religious hatred would
not stop people from being rude about Islam.

Ken Macdonald told MPs that he wanted to
play down Muslim expectations to avoid a backlash against police and
politicians because very few cases were likely to reach the courts.

People will remain “perfectly free to be
rude or offensive” about Islam or any other other
religion because in most cases the right of free speech will still prevail, Mr Macdonald said.

He added: “It is very important people
understand what the law will achieve. It will stop the grossest form of conduct
but it will not stop people being rude about Islam.”

Mr Macdonald was speaking at the Home Affairs Select
Committee, where he also repeated his caution to ministers to keep the right to
jury trial even for terrorist suspects. He told MPs of his concern that
religious incitement laws, part of the Serious Organised
Crime and Police Bill, were expected by some to stop all forms of criticism or
abuse of Islam.

The proposals have also been criticised for threatening to stifle free speech. Mr Macdonald said that they would not have been possible in
the United States
because of the First Amendment. But in the light of existing laws on incitement
to racial hatred, British courts would “set the bar very high” before
convicting, he added.

Since 2001 there had been 86 referrals to
the Crown Prosecution Service for racial hatred but only six prosecutions and
two convictions, with one dropped and three ongoing.

Mr Macdonald added: “The main issue is managing
expectations . . . Communities have said they believe it will protect them from
people being rude or offensive about Islam — but you are perfectly free to be
rude or offensive about any religion and the law protects you.

“The danger is that if people believe it
is going to protect them from that, they will feel very let down by us.”

He added: “The police will send us the
files and we will see whether prosecution will meet the appropriate tests and
if it does we will prosecute . . . But you will have to meet the very high
level [of proof] required.”

The Muslim Council of Britain said that
it shared Mr Macdonald’s concern to explain the law carefully.

InayatBunglawala, a council
spokesman, said: “Not just Muslims fail to understand but also the likes of
Rowan Atkinson, who has said it would prevent jokes
and satire. So it has been misunderstood by those who want the legislation and
those who oppose it.”